World X Book I: Leap Forward
by Starchild25
Summary: What happened to the powers lost by the mutants affected by the House of M? Here's one view on what might have happened, changing another Earth forever...
1. Prologue

_Greetings, I am Uatu, one of a race of beings known as The Watchers. For millennia, I have watched over many worlds in the multiverse. I have seen triumph and joy, happiness and despair, anger and foolishness, as well as many other emotions play out in various ways across the many Earths. One of the many that has fascinated me the most is Earth 616, where the exploits of the many heroes and villains that populate that world can be described as almost legendary._

_But as I said, acts of tragedy appear equally along with acts of goodness, especially in the case of individuals known as mutants. One such mutant, Wanda Maximoff, known as the Scarlet Witch, had become mentally unstable as her power to alter probabilities evolved to allow her to alter reality itself. Angry and disgusted over having these powers that set her apart from humanity, she said three little words 'No More Mutants'. With those words combined with her power, she cut the mutant population, which had comprised a significant number of the world's population down to mere hundreds, taking their powers away from them._

_However, such energy and power can't just simply disappear; it would need to go somewhere, some place where it can be put to use. Perhaps to a place such as Earth 86753, a world where the exploits of heroes such as the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four are only know to those of this world as fictional stories read in what is known as comic books. How would such powers affect a world such as this? Join me as I look upon this world and see what may or may not occur…_


	2. Chapter 1

_Book One—Leap Forward_

_Chapter One--Cinncinati, Ohio (11/04/05)_

"I can't believe how much you embarrassed me tonight, Lisa!" said Steven

Malson as he shut the door behind him. "You ruined Evelyn Gregson's dress when you spilled that wine just as I was persuading her husband and the rest of the senior staff into making me a partner and destroyed one of their most expensive vases too! I swear, if you cost me the chance of that promotion…"

"I said I was sorry, Steven, alright?" said Lisa as she rubbed her left shoulder where her husband had grabbed her as they left the dinner party, knowing that a nasty bruise was going to show up there soon. "I passed out, it wasn't like I threw up on Evelyn Gregson…" The truth was that women like Mrs. Evelyn Gregson and the wives of the other partners at her husband's law firm bored her to tears, interested more in the latest gossip than about other people's feelings. Whenever an event was planned where Steven made her come along or send her to, she'd smile and laugh, but inside she felt like throwing up. She kept going though, because it kept her husband calm…most of the time.

"…and those things you were saying!" said Steven as he drank a beer he got from the fridge. He had been ranting for about a minute already, but Lisa wasn't paying attention, having learned when to tune in and tune out when her husband yelled at her long ago. "''No more what, No more what?' and something about a light and something being wrong with your shadow?". He then tossed the empty beer bottle into the trash then glared at his wife as he said "I had to make sure that they didn't start thinking you were on drugs! I think I convinced them, but you still made a scene, and not a good one for me!"

"Please Steven, I heard you!" pleaded Lisa as she headed upstairs with her husband close behind her, feeling his eyes bore into her like laser beams. She glanced at him quickly as she whispered "Now please be quiet, we don't want to wake the children!" Her twin children Melissa and Andrew have heard their father be angry before, but never when he was like that, and she preferred it to stay that way, especially if his rage grew before they went to bed.

He wasn't like this when they had first met in college when they were introduced by mutual friends. When Lisa first laid eyes on Steven, she thought he was one of the most handsome, intelligent, and compassionate men she had ever met and it was obvious that he held similar feelings for her. He quickly romanced her and stole her heart, proposing to her three weeks before they graduated, her with a degree in education, him with a degree in law and justice. Of course, she accepted and they were quickly married within months of their graduation.

Their families were overjoyed about their union and helped support the new couple financially as Steven went to law school and Lisa went to grad school to become an elementary school teacher. However, as time went by, Steven began to get more and more controlling, first with minor things such as wearing a particular necklace with a dress for dinner with friends then with major things on what things not to say or do in front of his family. It was about a year into their marriage when he started to hit her. She managed to cover the more graphic of her bruises with make-up and clothes so that no one would notice. As for the rest, she managed to explain them away as simple accidents.

Lisa thought the abuse was over once her twins were born, she hadn't seen Steven smile like that in years and she thought the darkness was truly behind them both. However, it was only a short respite, as only a few months passed after their births before he started to hit her again. She eventually told everything to a couple of close friends and her mother who begged her to go to the police, but she knew it wouldn't do any good for her. Being a successful lawyer gave Steven a lot of contacts and a lot of ways to make her life more of a living hell if she spoke, the chief one being making sure she would never see her children again. So, she remained and accepted the abuse and tried to be a good wife and devote her self to her children and her third-grade class, the only two things that gave her joy outside her family.

She prayed that he would be too tired to touch her tonight because of what happened to her tonight, an event that even she didn't understand. She was listening and trying to remain awake as Evelyn was blabbering to her and the other women about the affair someone was having with a 16 year-old pool boy when a wave of dizziness hit her. She clutched her head as images flashed in her mind

_A man in a blue uniform yelling about a prank someone pulled. She somehow knew that the man was yelling at her._

_Playing soccer with a bunch of teenage kids, some of which didn't even look human, yet she felt ok with that, but didn't know why_

_A young man who looked 15-16 years old shaving in front of a mirror. Lisa somehow knew that the boy was her and again she was ok with that._

The final image was that of a woman with long brown hair in a red cloak crying with her back to Lisa. She then turned to face her, her eyes glowing orange as she said in an accented voice something that sounded like "_No More Mutants_'. There was a flash of light and the next thing she knew she was back at the dinner party lying on the floor with everyone looking over her with concerned looks on their faces, except for Steven who was glaring at her angrily. As she was helped, she looked down at her shadow and it looked _different_ to her in a way she couldn't tell. She also felt connected to it, as if it something separate from her own self….

"Are you even listening to me!" shouted Steven, bringing Lisa back to the present as he took off his jacket and tie. It was obvious that he didn't seem to care about whether the children were sleeping or not. "I swear to god, I ask you to do simple things like this sometimes, things that a fucking retard can do easily, and most of the time you screw it up! You know if it wasn't for this job I have, we'd all be out on the streets!"

Lisa looked at her husband, feeling the need to speak up even though she knew it would probably be a bad move for her. She took a couple of nervous steps towards her husband, noticing out of the corner of her eye that her shadow seemed to step out of sync with her movement, walking a little bit in front of her as if to protect her. She could feel _anger_ from it, but that was impossible since a shadow couldn't feel…right?

Steven didn't seem to notice it as she said "I may not make as much as you do Steven, but I do come close. You know that if I didn't have my job we wouldn't able to live as well as we do and enjoy the things we do, or rather you do mostly, like your secretary Linda for example. So come down off your high horse and realize that you're not the big king you always think you are sometimes! I didn't do anything wrong to hurt and it's only your damn ego making you think I did!"

_WHACK!_

His hand came at her so hard and fast that Lisa fell to the floor. Steven had walked over and looked down at her as she touched her cheek where he hit her. "Now, you listen to me, you stupid bitch. I'm allowed to whatever the hell I want whenever the hell I want, got it? You're my wife, so all you can do is simply sit there and shut up and don't say anything like that again, you understand?"

"Mommy, what's wrong? Why are you on the floor?"

"Daddy, what are you doing to Mommy?"

Lisa turned her head in shock and fear as she realized that Steven hadn't shut the door to their room and in the hallway stood Melissa and Andrew, surprise and fear on their faces. She had done whatever she could to hide this side of their father from them and now they've seen the way he could be towards her, filling her with fear not just for her but for them as well as she felt the anger from her shadow in front of her start to grow while a small of her brain was telling her that because of the amount and position of thelighting it should be mostly _behind_ her, not in front.

"Go to sleep…." Growled Steven as he glared at the children, but they remained where they were, locked in place by the fear and confusion they felt in seeing their parents, who they loved dearly, in a way they have never seen before. "I said BOTH OF YOU GO TO SLEEP NOW!" he yelled as he stepped over Lisa and took a couple of steps towards them. When they still didn't move he ran towards them as he screamed at the top of his lungs "GOD DAMN IT, IF YOU WONT GO TO SLEEP I'LL MAKE YOU GO TO SLEEP!"

Lisa's heart started to race as she stood up, seeing one of her greatest fears come to life before her eyes. She couldn't just stand there and allow Steven to beat her children, two of the most important people in her life that kept her going day after day. She didn't want them to go through the pain and despair she went through because of her abusive husband…

_She couldn't…_

_SHE WOULDN'T!_

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH THEM!" she screamed as something that could only be described as 'impossible' happened. Lisa's shadow raced _away_ from her, moving quickly under Steven's legs until it was between him and the children. Steven had looked back at Lisa for a second, wondering how the hell she was causing, but then looked back as he heard his children gasp as the shadow rose up off the floor and filled out until it was a three-dimensional duplicate of Lisa, except that it was completely black and had no facial features.

Lisa stood there in shock, not understanding what was happening to her and her shadow when it came to her. The visions she had, they were a part of something, something that granted her…a _gift_. A gift to bring her shadow to life as an entity that was both separate and a part of her at the same time which had now responded to her emotional instinct to protect her children. She watched as Steven tried to attack it, but the shadow form simply grabbed his wrist then grabbed him by the shirt with its other hand and threw him against the wall.

As Steven struggled, she finally realized that the moment that she he'd never thought would come had arrived: the moment when she would finally be free of his abuse once and for all. She looked to her children and said with more confidence than she felt in a long time "Get in your rooms and lock the doors. Don't open them until I say so, ok?"As her children ran off, she got an idea of something else she could do with her newfound ability that would make the moment even better. She walked towards her shadow form and merged with it, the form now gaining her facial features. Lisa couldn't help but smile as she felt the power that the shadow form held and it felt so _good_, better than she had felt in many years.

"Now you will listen to what I have to say Steven, because I will only say this once." She said, her voice sounding a little bit deeper as she looked at him with anger still, but now also with fear, a look she never seen him have. "I am going to pack my bags and the childrens' bags and we are going to my parents. The two of us are going to get divorced and you're not going to complain one bit about how it goes. Oh, and even if you do say something about…this, I doubt anyone would believe you. After all, who would believe someone who abused his wife for many years? I've got witnesses who will back me up and the doctor's reports as well."

She saw Steven try to struggle against her grip as his eyes widened in surprise, which made her feel even better as she said "Oh yes Steven, I kept the papers the many doctors you sent me to gave me and their numbers in case a moment like this came. Granted, I never thought it would come at all and especially not like this, but I guess you should never say never, wouldn't you agree Steven? Did I make myself clear husband, or should I, or rather this…shadow form and I slam you against the wall again?"

Steven nodded quickly and Lisa let him fall to the floor, her shadow form slinking away from her until it was a normal shadow once more, but she could still feel her link with and it felt…_satisfied_. Her now soon-to-be ex-husband still looked at her with fear and anger in his eyes, looking like he wanted to say something to her, but didn't. If there was one thing that could be said for Steven, he did have good common sense.

Within a couple of hours, her and the children were in her car and on the way to her parents. Even though it was 1 AM, her parents didn't mind being woken as Lisa said she was leaving Steven for good. Her mother simply said "Thank God, come right now. Your father and I will wait up for you and our grandchildren."

Thankfully, her children weren't scared of her because of her newfound power, simply looking at her with shock and awe. Andrew had fallen asleep as soon as they left house, but Melissa remained wide awake as she watched her mother drive. They had spent the early part of the journey in silence, but Melissa soon looked to her mother and said quietly "Mommy, are we ever going to see Daddy again?"

Lisa quickly glanced back at her daughter and after a few seconds said "We'll see sweetie, we'll see…" She hadn't even been thinking about that, her mind still racing with what had just occurred this evening. She definitely was going to get full custody, but Steven was their father after all, so he did deserve some visits, but they would be supervised.

Melissa was quiet for a few minutes then said "So does this mean you're a superhero now because of what you can do with your shadow Mommy?"

Lisa was quiet, a little bit surprised by the question. She gave a slight smile and said "We'll see Melissa, now try to get some sleep, I'll wake you up when we get to Grandpa and Grandma's ok?" Melissa nodded and closed her eyes as she looked back to the road as she thought about what she had received. While she was grateful for what this strange ability allowed her to do, she still had so many questions, like why was she granted this ability and who gave it to her. There was one thing she was absolutely sure of, and it worried her because she didn't know why she was sure of it.

_She knew that what happened to her would be happening to others very soon, maybe right at this moment…._


	3. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two—Phoenix, Arizona (11/04/05)_

Well, here goes nothing… thought Ricky Martinez as he walked from his car to the nearby bridge Time to take a flying leap into eternity…. He had told his parents that he was going to be sleeping over at his friend Angela's, so that they wouldn't be worried about his whereabouts, at least for tonight. It was hard to convince them to let him go out since his older sister Maria had come home for a little vacation from law school, but after she said it was ok for him to go, they soon said yes.

Leaving Maria was the only small source of regret in his heart for what he was about to do as he was very close with his older sister. He knew he needed to do it though, not just to relieve the pain his heart, but the pain he knew his family would face once people found out about him. While his family was very open-minded, most of the people in his neighborhood were religious and he knew he couldn't expose the people that he loved the most to the anger and humiliation that would follow once people realized that he was gay.

If only I hadn't been so impulsive, if only I hadn't kissed Marcus out in the open that night… he thought as memories of the past came back to him with each step he took. He still clearly remembered the day when Marcus' family moved a couple of blocks down from his house three years ago just before their freshman year in high school. Ricky knew he was different than most boys as he was growing up, not showing as much interest in girls as his male friends did, preferring to take pictures or help his female friends pick out clothes for each other.

Once he saw Marcus for the first time with his blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and dazzling smile, he began to understand exactly how he was different. The two guys became fast friends having mutual interests in video games and bad cult horror flicks among other things. It wasn't long before their relationship became more intimate than either of them expected, falling head over heels in love with each other. They decided to keep their new relationship private, partly because they wanted to avoid any prejudice that some people would have about two gay teenagers being out together and also because they felt that their relationship was their own business unless they felt the need to tell someone.

There were a few surprising moments they didn't expect in their relationship, but they managed to get themselves through them. One of the more tense ones they faced was when Marcus' mother unexpectedly walked in on them when the two of them were in the middle of making love then passed out. Fortunately, while his parents were surprised, they were very accepting of the fact that their son and Ricky were gay and promised to keep their secret as long as they cared about each other and were safe.

Having Marcus as his boyfriend made Ricky happier than he ever thought he could be. Unfortunately, their happiness was cut short one night as the two of them were walking home after spending hours at the local library preparing for a group presentation. Feeling good over how their presentation was going and just being with his boyfriend on a perfect evening, he was filled with an impulsive urge and kissed his boyfriend passionately just for the hell of it, thinking that it was safe since it was late at night and no one was around to see them.

Unknown to Ricky, someone did see the two of them kissing under the streetlight. That particular someone was Edward Thomas, a construction worker who was among the many who considered homosexuals 'freaks from hell' who were less than human. So, when he saw two teenage boys kissing right outside his house, he was filled with so much anger, he wanted to make them pay for doing something so disgusting so close to his property.

He grabbed his revolver, ran outside, and shot Marcus right through the head as he screamed "DIE FREAK!" Ricky stood there in complete shock as Marcus suddenly collapsed to the ground in front of him. His brain screamed for him to run, but he was frozen at the sight of Marcus' corpse lying on the sidewalk in front of him. Unfortunately, that gave Edward plenty of time to grab him by his neck, throw him to the ground, and start to beat him hard, yelling things at him, but Ricky couldn't remember what he said as he tried to fend off the larger man's blows, but with little success.

Edward would have killed Ricky if it wasn't for Ms. Cara Telani, a newlywed as a new mother of a three-month old son. She was trying to calm him down so he would go back to sleep when she heard the gunshot from across the street. She quickly ran to the window and when she saw her neighbor Edward, a man that had always scared her, but she didn't know why exactly, beating up a teenage boy while another was laying motionless close by. Ms. Telani immediately called 911 with police and ambulances arriving within minutes. Edward ran at the sound of sires, but the police caught up with him quickly within a few blocks. He pulled out his revolver to fight back and managed to get out two shots before he was shot to death by the police.

Ricky didn't even know the name of the man who attacked him and killed Marcus until a week later as he was recovering from his injuries in the hospital. As he lay in his hospital bed, he knew that it was his fault that Marcus was dead and if he just had been more cautious, none of this would've happened. His family had always said he was too impulsive from time to time and now it cost him the love of his life. Thankfully, no one knew the reasons why Edward killed Marcus and attacked him, and with witnesses describing him as aggressive person who apparently had affiliations with White Power groups, no one really cared.

However, Ricky knew that a moment would come again and the knowledge of his sexuality would come out. While he was sure that the response wouldn't be completely negative, he couldn't expose his family to people like Edward Thomas or worse. He knew that most people's negative views on gay people in general in the United States would never change, so there was only one thing he could do to protect his family from such people and what they could bring.

_He would have to kill himself…_

Momma and Papa will be upset for a while, but they are strong, plus they'll have Maria with them… He thought as he approached the bridge. I have to do this, it's my fault Marcus is dead. I can't let anyone else I care about be hurt or worse just because I am gay. Ricky sighed as he peered over the bridge into the forested area below. He had come to this area many times before to walk around and take pictures. It had always filled him with a sense of peace which was why he chose this place to take his own life.

All I have to do is turn around and fall… he thought as he got up on the bridge. It will be like flying as I look up at the starts for a few seconds, then it will all be over. … He knew he would be causing many people with pain, but he knew it was the only way to protect the ones he cared about. They would all assume he killed himself because of the loss of his best friend, which was true in a way. They would mourn, but they will survive, he was sure of it.

Alright…it's showtime… Ricky was about to turn around and spread his arms out to fall when a wave of dizziness hit him. He clutched his head as weird images appeared in his mind.

"_Come on Sofia! Make it go higher!"_

"_Hello Sofia, my name is Danielle Moonstar…"_

"_Don't worry, you'll be fine. Your father may not believe in you, but I do…"_

"_No more mutants…"_

What the hell? What's happening to me? thought Ricky as the dizziness made him tip forward and fall off the bridge face-first. He opened his eyes as the ground raced towards him and suddenly realized he made a mistake. He held his hands out in front of him as he realized he was making a mistake. Now, there was only one thing that he wanted and he shouted it out, not just for the sake of his family, his friends, and Marcus' memory, but for his own sake as well, even though he knew they would be the last words he'll ever say.

"_I WANT TO LIVE!"_

Suddenly, he heard a loud howl and felt himself being _pushed up _by a huge gust of wind, flipping a few times as he moved about trying to figure out what in the world was happening to him. Once he was right side up, he looked and saw he was _floating _a few feet above the bridge and that he was able to see his entire neighborhood from his vantage point. Ricky looked around in shock and awe, not believing what was happening to him.

"It's like the wind knew to push me up..." he murmured to himself "That's crazy, wind isn't alive. How would it know that I wanted to live at that moment?" He thought about it for a few seconds as he floated in mid-air when it suddenly came to him, even though it sounded like the most impossible thing in the world. It was however, the only explanation for what had just happened.

_He called for the wind, He had somehow gained the ability to control the wind itself to push him away from the ground and now allow him to fly!_

Ok…this is like weird and cool at the same time… he thought as he suddenly had an idea to test his theory. He gestured at the nearby trees and couldn't help but laugh as a light breeze made the leaves rustle. He was right; he somehow had gained the ability to control the wind itself, but how?

"Madre de Dios! (_Oh my God!) _ Ricky, is that you?"

Ricky looked down and was surprised to see Maria rushing out of her car and towards the bridge. Ok, I apparently can control wind and am flying and now my sister just saw it. She doesn't look like she's going to bolt in fear so that's something…I think…" He flew towards the bridge and landed gently in front of his older sister, finding flying as natural as though he was walking up to her. "Um…Hey Maria…I don't how I was doing...what you just saw me do, it just happened. H-How did you know where to find me? What are you doing here?"

"What do you think I'm doing, you moron, I was looking for you!" said Maria, lightly slapping her younger brother on the back of his head. She then smiled lightly at Ricky and said "I knew that this was your favorite place to take pictures and have time to yourself, so I came here first to look for you. Marcus' mother had come over to bring some stuff you had left in his room before he…you know. When Mama told her that you weren't here, she got worried and told us everything…"

Ricky paled when Maria said that Marcus' mother had told her and their parents everything. Half of him was angry that Marcus' mother had said something after she and Marcus' father had promised not to say anything without their permission while the other half of him was worried what the potential reaction of his sister and parents would be to the news that he was gay. He looked at Maria nervously and said "W…what do you mean she told you everything Maria?"

Maria sighed and shook her head and said "She told us about you and Marcus, Ricky, even though I had put two and two together about you guys a while ago. First of all, why in the name of all that is pure and holy on this Earth would you feel you couldn't tell Mama, Papa, and especially me that you were gay? You know that all that matters is that you stay on the straight and narrow and do well on school. As long as you stay responsible and safe, you're capable of making your own choices; you know that's been drilled into both of our heads. So, why were you so afraid to tell us this when you know we wouldn't have rejected you because of it, hermano menor? (_little brother)_"

Tears started to run down Ricky's face as he now knew for sure that his parents and sister didn't care that he was gay, that they knew he was still the same good, intelligent person he always was. "Lo siento, Maria. (_I'm sorry Maria_) I…I sorta knew that you, Momma, and Papa would be ok with me being gay, but after…after what happened to Marcus, I…I just didn't want people in the neighborhood to come after any of you because of what I am. I…I just couldn't live with myself if that were to happen…."

Maria hugged her younger brother, letting him sob into her shirt for a few minutes as she said "Its ok Ricky, its ok, you have nothing to be scared about." She then moved his face so that she was looking into his eyes and said "You know that when a family member has a crisis that we are all there to support one another no matter what the cost or what other people say. It's your choice whether or not you want to be openly gay, but even if you're not and someone says something stupid, you got your family by your side just as I am sure you will have most of your friends too, got it?"

Ricky smiled and wiped his eyes as he said "Yea, yea sis, I got it…". His sister started to open her mouth to say something else but he put his hand over her mouth and said "To answer your next question, I have absolutely no clue how I suddenly got the…I don't know…I guess you can call a gift to control wind. It just happened a few moments ago, I swear on Grandma Gabi's grave!" He decided not to tell Maria about the images and voices he heard in the moments before he fell, so she wouldn't start to think he needed to be locked up in a white padded room.

"Don't worry, I believe you, no need to swear anything." Maria said after Ricky removed his hand. "You look about as surprised as I was with doing…whatever it is you can do now." She then ruffled his hair playfully and said "Come on you angelito viento (_little wind angel)_, let's head for home. After Marcus' mother told us everything, we realized you lied about going to Angela's, but thankfully I managed to calm them down to convince them not to call the police until I searched for you. I'm just glad you're safe, I was really worried…"

"Well I'm ok now…" said Ricky as he hugged his older sister. "Thanks Maria, for being here now and talking." He truly meant what he said, he did feel good, better than he had in a while. He then got a little worried about explaining things to his parents and looked at his older sister as they headed for their respective cars and said "Um…I was wondering if it's ok, can you…."

Maria smiled and said "I'll tell them I found you by the bridge crying Ricky, I know saying the full truth would freak them out even more. As for your new…skill…that I'll leave up you, but I feel you should tell them. Again, it's your choice, ok little bro?"

Ricky simply nodded and smiled as he got into his car. He didn't know how or way, but he was given a strange new ability and a second chance at life. He vowed to keep on living and being himself, not just for the sake of those who mattered to him and himself, but also because he knew it was what Marcus would want him to do.

As he followed Maria's car home, he began to wonder about what he had seen before he gained his wind ability. Was he now an angel of the wind like Maria had said or something else entirely?


	4. Chapter 3

_Author Notes—Hey all, sorry for this taking so long, I had extreme writer's block, plus some personal stuff to deal with. Then of course, I was waiting to see who had been making the cut in the X-books. Again, my apologies and I hope you enjoy Chapter 3 I always welcome comments, reviews, and suggestions of whose powers you want to see show up, ok?_

_Chapter Three—Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (11/05/05)_

"So then Harold says he saw the homeless guy pick up the bugs from the street, absorb them into his skin, then smile and rub his stomach like he enjoyed a great feast or something…" said Officer Derek Mitchelson with a huge grin on his face. "Man, I knew the guy was shook up after finding his wife in bed with his sister, but I didn't think he'd be literally losing his mind over the whole thing!"

"I don't know Derek….Harold was definitely surprised by the affair, but he's pretty much a level-headed guy. You know that as well as I…" said his partner, Officer Erin McRyan. Derek took some friendly teasing when she, a woman half his height, weight, and age, was assigned to be his new partner, but she proved that she could drink, fight, and play, just like any other man on the force. She took a sip from the coffee she had picked up a few minutes ago then said as she put it down. "I think there may be more to what Harold said than what meets the eye. You remember my cousin that I told you about?"

"The one who just passed his academy tests and is a cop in L.A. now, right?" said Derek as he took a sip of his coffee "How's he doing by the way? He and his wife seemed really excited about him following in the family footsteps when they came to visit you at work during the July 4th weekend…"

Erin smiled and said "Yeah, Rachel gave birth to twin girls a few weeks ago, they're still deciding on names." She then chuckled and said "Anyway, I was talking with Shane on the phone just this morning before I came in to work and he was telling me how he was on patrol with his partner last night and were responding to a robbery call. They were just about to grab the perp, who was some Latino kid, when he suddenly ran between them and disappeared."

"That doesn't sound unusual…" Derek said with a wry grin "All it sounds like is that the kid got away from your cuz and his partner, no offense meant to either of them of course. It's nothing to feel bad about, when I started out on the force, I had lost perps before many times. There's nothing to be ashamed of with that…"

"My cousin isn't the type to exaggerate, Derek…" said Erin with a very serious expression on her face. "And this kid wasn't running like your typical punk teenager either. He was going so fast, the force of it shattered windows in the area like they were hit by a bomb." She looked out the window as she continued "You saw the strange flash of light two nights ago? It lasted for probably a fraction of a second, but a lot of people around the world saw it from what I've heard. That's when all these rumors of strange people doing strange things started. I'm being serious here, Derek, something is happening here and please forgive me for being cliché, but it is probably changing the world as we know it for good…"

"Well, I don't know about any weird lights changing the world…" said Derek as he quickly put down his coffee and reached for the door "But those two over there are changing that woman's world for the worse…" He quickly pointed right in front of their car at two men trying to assault a young woman, who by the look of her cane and nearby barking dog, was blind. Erin nodded and quickly reached for her firearm as she flew out of the car at the same time as Derek as she called "Police! Stay where you are and keep your hands where we can see them!"

The two assailants, who looked to be no more than 15 or 16 years old to Derek, looked up quickly as soon as he shouted. One of them quickly pushed the young woman towards his partner then grabbed a gun from his pocket and aimed it at the police officers while his partner produced a knife and held it close to the young woman's throat.

It was just as the young man holding the gun was saying something that everything in Derek's world went, as his mother would've put it, '_to Almighty Heck in a Handbasket!'_

He clutched his head and screamed as the world turned white around him. Derek could just make out Erin screaming and someone else too; he wasn't sure who, as images flooded his mind of a bear made of shadows, an old American Indian man, and a young white man flashing an FBI badge among other strange things. It almost felt like to him he was seeing another person's life because with each image came different emotions.

Just as suddenly as it began, it had stopped, although the weirdness didn't end there. When Derek opened his eyes, he wasn't back on the street but in a world of white. He quickly looked to his right and saw Erin standing next to him, looking just as scared as confused as she was. He was about to ask if she was ok when he heard a voice call out "Oh my God, what is going on here? Where am I?"

Derek looked towards the source of the voice and was surprised to find the blind woman was with them as well, lying on the floor of whatever this place was. He quickly rushed over to her side and helped her to stand as he said "Don't worry, ma'am, we're police officers, we'll find a way to get us out of this safely and quickly…" He felt bad about lying partially to the woman since he had no idea of where in the world they were and how they were going to get out of here, but there had to be some way, they just needed to figure out what that way is….

The woman smiled nervously as she glanced in Derek's direction and adjusted her dark glasses as she nodded slowly and was about to say something when Erin said "Hey Derek, we're not alone here…" and pointed at a figure in a fancy red robe that seemed to be sobbing with his or her back towards them a short distance away. Derek looked to the figure then his partner and said "Ok, I'll check this person out; you stay here with the civilian."

Erin nodded and walked over to the figure slowly, who he could tell as he moved closer that it was a woman. He wondered if she was the reason the three of them where…wherever the hell they were now or she was put here like them. He reached over slowly and touched the woman's shoulder as he said "Ma'am, are you hurt? I'm a police officer; I'm here to help…."

The woman then stood up and turned around so quickly that it shocked even Derek, who stepped back a few steps. He looked back at Erin and the woman, who both seemed to be about as nervous as he was at the moment. The woman then pushed back her hood revealing a woman with long brown hair and if it wasn't for the fact of the situation he was in, her eyes were glowing red, and that he was married, he would consider her attractive. She then pointed at the three of them and said a phrase that both confused and scared him at the same time.

_No more mutants…_

A bright white light filled the area and Derek wasn't sure if they were being taken somewhere else or if this was just some strange form of Death and him, Erin, and the blind young woman were killed by the two hooligans and they just hadn't figured it out yet. So, it was a surprise to find that they were suddenly on the street once more at the exact moment when the weird light first appeared.

"…etter drop your guns or we'll make sure the bitch gets it! "The young man with the gun shouted as he shifted his aim between Derek and Erin "Are you two just dumb or scared! I thought the cops would hire people with more balls these days!" His companion laughed as he brought the knife a little bit closer to the woman's throat, making her wince slightly with pain as a small drop of blood appeared causing her dog to bark even more.

Derek tried to contain his rage after the young man heckle him and Erin as he felt this wave of…_something_…wash over his body as he kept his aim steady on the young man holding the gun. The images of what had just supposedly happened to him were still fresh in his mind and part of him still wondered if it was even real or not, but that didn't matter anymore as he saw the blind young woman struggle to break free. All that mattered was the one part of his oath that he took when he became a police officer that came to his mind at that moment.

_To serve and protect the innocent…_

"The only ones who should be afraid here at the moment is the two of you!" shouted Derek as he glared at the young man holding the gun. Suddenly, the air directly in front of him began to shimmer, as though it were some form of a mirage. The shimmering then coalesced and took form as a giant snake, which flicked its tongue in and out to the amazement of all those present, even the dog, which had stopped barking and simply looked on in what seemed to be amazement. It then turned towards the young man with the gun, who looked extremely nervous when the snake appeared, and hissed as it bared its fangs at him.

The young man with the gun then screamed and dropped his gun as he took off down the block at top speed with the snake going after him for a little bit before it disappeared in the same way it appeared. Everyone, even the blind woman, looked in Derek's direction with expressions of shock on their faces, but none were as shocked as Derek as he realized what had just occurred….

I did that! He thought I somehow knew that guy was afraid of snakes and I created that…image…of a giant snake to scare him! What the hell has happened to me?"

"Yo, Tyrell, get your stupid ass back here! Tyrell, it's not real!" shouted the young man with the knife. When he realized that his partner wasn't coming back, he shoved the blind woman to the ground then tackled Erin before she had a chance to react, the gun falling away from her hand as the guy held her down and raised his knife as he said "I don't know what type of freak cops you two are, but I am sure hell not going let you do to me what your partner did to my brother…"

Derek watched as Erin struggled to break free of the stronger man's grip as he tried to get a clear shot, but the man moved around so much, he wasn't able to get a clear shot. Just when he thought that there were probably no more surprises for the evening, his eyes widened as he saw his partner's hands start to glow orange. Erin noticed too then smiled slightly as she looked at the young man on top of her then said "Nah, I'll think I'll do something different…" before grabbing the man's arms with her hands and closed her eyes as some form of energy came out of her hands and into the man, causing him to scream. After a few seconds, she stopped and quickly pushed him off before running to grab her gun then go over to her partner's side.

Derek watched as the man rocked back and forth on the ground while on his side as he mumbled over and over "I'm sorry daddy, I'll be good…" He then looked over at Erin, who looked as shocked as he was when he made the snake appear, and whispered "My god Erin, what did you do to him?"

"I….I believe I just stunned him…" Erin said quietly, with a nervous tone in her voice that he never hear her have before. "But w..when I did that, I revived a memory from his childhood, of being beaten by his dad I think. That probably explains why he's in that state off shock now…." She was about to say more when they heard the dog, who they had forgotten about, bark loudly again and quickly turned to find the blind young woman struggling to find her glasses, which were apparently knocked off when she fell as she tried to sit up.

Erin's expression then changed back to the confident one that Derek knew since the day that they first met and said "You go help her out, Derek; I'll call for an ambulance." He nodded as Erin raced back to their squad car while he quickly went over to the young woman and picked up her glasses before helping her sit up as he said "Ma'am, my name's Derek, I'm a police officer, you're safe now. Are you hurt in any way?"

The woman looked up in Derek's direction as she took her glasses from his hand and quickly slipped them on as she nervously said "I…I'm fine, I..I think. A little bruised and battered, but nothing hurts that much, thanks to you and your partner." Derek could understand the woman's fear, considering what she had heard but not see like everyone else had.

The dog continued to bark loudly which caused the woman to look directly in its direction and said "Shadow, I'm ok, thanks to these two police officers, so will you please calm down and stop asking?" The dog then stopped barking, which didn't surprise Derek but he was surprised when the woman gasped and looked like, if she could, she had seen a ghost as she took Derek's hand and whispered "I understood him….I understood what Shadow was saying as though he was speaking English and he understood me. What's going on here? What's happened to us?"

Derek didn't answer the woman at first as he looked to Erin as she was calling dispatch for assistance and an ambulance, sounding confident, but still looking nervous from what had just occurred. He then looked back at the woman and said "Ma'am, I can honestly say I do not know, none of us do…" However, what he didn't say and wouldn't reveal to any, not even his partner, was that he didn't want to know why the three of them were granted such new 'skills' and hoped he never will because he was truly scared out of his mind…


	5. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four—Somewhere on Earth #86753_

_Who am I?_

I am…incomplete. I am myself yet not all of myself. Just…a fragment of me

_I remember things. Bits…Images of the me I once was and in a way still am_

_I was both feared and loved throughout the universe_

_Many sought to control and destroy me for some reason_

_There were two who I was bonded with. Mother and…Daughter?_

_We worked Together well.._

_Jean…_

_I remember the Mother, her name was Jean._

_She was the first mortal I was bonded with. The one who used me the best…_

_She is…was a fragment of myself as well, but a primal piece_

_We are the same, yet not…we needed each other to be…_

_She…we…died…in a battle?_

_We were scattered…._

_Someone…a woman…said something…somewhere. She changed things._

_Now I am here, in a place that is like where I came from, yet not…_

_Jean will come for me…I can sense it. We will be one, not separate_

_What shall I do till then?_

I shall rest, someone at this place that is the same, yet not will find me

_I will bond with this someone; let them use my ability for their own purposes._

_My name_

_I know my name now, even though I am a fragment of me, I am still me.._

_I am Pheonix… _


End file.
